• NCW, Whittington Road, Worcester, WR5 2JX
Inspiring, nurturing and empowering young people with a vision impairment.

Sixth Form (Key Stage 5)

Welcome to Sixth Form

We believe there is no better place for a young adult who is vision impaired to study post 16 years than at NCW.

On the academic side every single lesson is taught by a qualified teacher of the vision impaired (QTVI) or is in the process of training to be. All of our teachers are subject specialists, teaching at an extremely high level. Subjects include those that can be challenging to access at A Level; Maths, Science and Music. Our teachers are specialists in education for vision impaired learners and experts in Braille, including specialist codes for Science, Maths and Music. Our aspirations for students are high and we fully expect our students to go onto higher education, careers and personal success.

Our teachers work towards eleven specific learner outcomes as part of the Curriculum Framework for Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) for each student:

  • Facilitating an Inclusive World
  • Sensory Development
  • Communication
  • Literacy
  • Habilitation: Orientation and Mobility
  • Habilitation: Independent Living Skills
  • Accessing information
  • Technology
  • Health: Social, Emotional, Mental and Physical Wellbeing
  • Social, Sports and Leisure
  • Preparing for Adulthood.

Sixth Form Prospectus

Click Here to download our Prospectus

Teachers and Residential staff work together and our holistic approach to education ensures that students are prepared for transition onto the next stage of their lives and every skill that is learnt during the day is practised and embedded in the residential side of College. Residential staff at NCW are passionate about the success of our young people and work tirelessly to develop their independent living skills and ensure their happiness during their time here.

Friendships that last for a lifetime are founded here and our young adults develop their independence within ever-expanding boundaries – gradually spreading their wings until they are ready to fly.

Life in the Sixth Form - Vinchel Lodge

Supported Transition to Independence

While we are here to help when we are needed, developing independence means students making their own decisions. They will start to do more for themselves, including budgeting, shopping, cooking, washing, even the dreaded ironing! Experienced, knowledgeable and qualified staff are on hand to provide support, advise and encourage while students develop these skills.

Options for Support
Residential tutors support our students in the Vinchel Lodge which is organised to ease the transition to university and further education. The Lodge is set up very much like university accommodation, and students live quite independently, with support on hand if needed.

Fun with Friends
Sixth Form life is relaxed and fun. As independence grows, a new world of exciting activities opens up. The atmosphere is full of confidence and achievement. Living in a large group means making new friends, as well as always having someone to socialise with. In sixth form accommodation there is a three bay kitchen where students can cook meals, a communal dining area to enjoys meals with friends,  a large Common Room and a Games Room with a pool table and piano as well as shared living areas. For those who are able, sixth form students are offered much greater freedom and independent mobility – whilst safeguarding is still of the utmost priority.

Skills/Social & Emotional programme
At NCW, we place great importance on developing students’ wider skills. They will have a personalised skills programme covering ICT/ Assistive Technology, Mobility, Independent Living Skills, Careers Advice and Guidance, Fitness/PE and Study Skills. They will be in a form group where, under the guidance of the form tutor, they will benefit from regular academic mentoring and study skills support and follow a programme of PSCHE (Personal, Social, Citizenship and Health Education)

Opportunities for Leadership
Because NCW sixth formers are part of the wider College environment, there are many opportunities to develop leadership skills and become role models for members of the lower school. Each year two Head Students are elected, together with a Student Team, who get involved in decision making and fundraising. These older students set a fabulous example to the lower school, whilst gaining valuable experience as leaders.

From: Victoria Ward Sent: 08 October 2024 12:05 To: Curriculum Staff Cc: Care Subject: "A Vision for VI Education" campaign and TPT Safe Stats Report (2024) Hello, VIEW have circulated this message (shown below) and asked us to spread the word far and wide. The sector is trying to get the CFVI adopted as a mandatory component of VI Education and it is in our best interests as a specialist VI setting to support this. The Stats report is particularly interesting and I urge anyone doing the MQVI to save this for your records as you will need to refer to some of this in your essays. As professionals working in the VI sector we all need to take the time to be outward looking and to keep up to date with the wider VI education landscape. Best wishes Victoria Forwarded message from TPT continues below: Please see the information below about two recent initiatives from Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) which will be of interest to you. Thomas Pocklington Trust (TPT) is excited to share the launch of their new campaign for government, ‘A Vision for VI Education’ The report reflects the voices and experiences of blind and partially sighted students in secondary, further and higher education, and sets out five key building blocks that we believe can transform the educational experiences for blind and partially sighted students, enabling them to thrive both in education and in adulthood. You can access the full details of the campaign here: Vision for VI Education: Building Blocks for Change - Thomas Pocklington Trust. TPT is asking for your support to help amplify this message: • Share the campaign within your networks and on social media, if you have any ideas about how and where we can promote the campaign, please let them know. • Spread the word to stakeholders - including educators, policymakers, and families, so we can make this a conversation across all levels. • Engage with TPT - your expertise and insights will be invaluable as we progress the campaign. Please contact Lucy Merrit, Education Policy Manager with any questions or ideas EducationPolicy@pocklington.org.uk TPT Education Safe Stats Report There is a huge amount of data out there which can be used to understand the experiences of blind and partially sighted students in education. TPT’s new Education Safe Stats report (2024) is an open resource which brings together a snapshot of the available data for England in one place, with a focus on secondary, further and higher education. The document includes a list of key terms, key statistics on different areas of VI in education, a section highlighting the gaps in VI research and data, and a section signposting readers to the resources used, as well as to other useful resources. We hope you find it useful! You can access the full report here: Safe Stats: Data on Blind and Partially Sighted Students in Education - Thomas Pocklington Trust
Photo of the seating area in the accommodation. There are large sofas in a neutral colour and grey carpets
Photo of the seating area in the accommodation. There are large sofas in a neutral colour and grey carpets
"A Vision for VI Education" campaign and TPT Safe Stats Report (2024)
photo of a student sat at a table smiling
photo of three students sat at a table smiling whilst holding mugs
image of three students sat on sofa in the common room area of the accommodation.
photo of three students sat at a table smiling whilst holding mugs
photo of a dining table and six chairs and the kitchen bays in the foreground
photograph of a bowl of fruit on the table.
photo of a dining table and six chairs and the kitchen bays in the foreground
photo of one of the kitchen bays in the sixth form communal kitchen
photo of one of the kitchen bays in the sixth form communal kitchen
photo showing the kitchen area which has 3 kitchen bays in the sixth form communal kitchen
Photo of the seating area in the accommodation. There are large sofas in a neutral colour and grey carpets
photo of a student's bedroom. There is a neatly made bed and a large wardrobe
photo of a plant on window sill
close up of three blue and light blue cushions on the sofa
photograph of a bowl of apples on a coffee table.
photo of a student's room, the bed is neatly made, there is a bright green tub chair, a clean and tidy desk and some artwork on the walls.
"NCW completely transformed my life and gave me opportunities that I would never have had before. Don’t doubt what it could do!"
Charlie
2018 Leaver, who went on to study Spanish and Portuguese at Belfast University
Learning Pathways
Sixth Form Curriculum and Options Booklet
Transition Planning
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